Vial Of Blood From Recently Canonized Saint Pope John Paul II On Display In Philadelphia

At the center of the reliquary is a glass ampoule that contains the Saint John Paul II’s blood in its liquid form. It was a gift presented to the Knights of Columbus by Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz longtime personal secretary of Saint John Paul II and current Archbishop of Krakow. (credit: Saint John Paul II National Shrine)

By Mark Abrams

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A relic from a recently canonized saint in the Roman Catholic Church will be presented for veneration in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia this weekend.

Father Dennis Gill, the director of the Office for Divine Worship in the archdiocese, says the relic will be on display the entire weekend inside the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul on the Parkway.

Gill says the fast-track to sainthood for John Paul II and the fact he visited the city as pope in 1979 has generated lots of interest.

“This weekend can be an opportunity for everybody to ask the intercession of Pope St. John Paul II that the Lord might hear our prayers for our own needs and the needs of one another,” Father Gill says.

The relic is a vial of blood presented to the Knights of Columbus to help spread devotion to the newly-minted saint.

Gill says Pope Saint John Paul II worked tirelessly during his life to unite all people and families – not just Roman Catholics – by calling them to a way of life with a focus on God and a respect for every human being.

Mark Abrams

Mark Abrams is a versatile part of the KYW Newsradio family, serving as a reporter, anchor and editor.
A graduate of Kutztown State College, he got his start in the industry in the mid-1970s as a talk-show producer, later serving as a reporter,...